'Towards the end of last year there was a meeting between the Nature Conservancy and the R.S.P.B. and it was decided that in order to work out a scheme to help to conserve the corncrake, we really needed to know much more about the bird's behaviour. So it was decided that the R.S.P.B. should take charge of this research side of the scheme, and the N.C.C. would be liaising with crofters and so on, finding out about the history of land use, and working out a scheme whereby crofters would be encouraged and helped to improve the habitat of the corncrake.

The R.S.P.B. side of this scheme is to discover a lot more about how the birds move around; when they're nesting; what sort of habitats they really need; what the survival of the young is and how it's affected by harvest and the hay harvest. And, on the other side of it, to what extent the birds are dependant on the more natural habitats, the iris beds and so on. And to this effect Tim Stowe [now R.S.P.B. Director, Wales] is working with an assistant down on South Uist. They're initially trying to track the birds' movements by putting a little radio transmitter on their backs, and this is not as easy as it sounds.

The best method of actually catching a corncrake is to play the tape of the familiar call, which is so distinctive, and the birds react to this by attacking the tape recorder and, if possible, the person who's next to the tape recorder. Initially, the method used on Canna was tried and that involved playing a tape near to a calling bird and putting a mist net, very fine net, between the bird and the tape recorder; the idea being the bird should go into the mist net. Unfortunately this didn't work. Now it's a case of Tim standing by his tape recorder with a butterfly net and this has succeeded and this week they've - well, they've now got three birds with these tiny little transmitters on their backs, and the two of them go round with receiver aerial and can pinpoint the birds' location, which is very valuable, especially now that the summer's really getting on and the cover's growing up. The bird is extremely secretive; he likes thick vegetation cover, and from the end of May going, you're very lucky to see a bird at all'

Gleidheadh an traoin (1 de 7)

1980an

eun-eòlas; croitearachd; glèidhteachas; claistinneach; RSPB

Taigh-tasgaidh is Gaileiridh Ealan Inbhir Nis

Bill Sinclair Audio: Conserving the Corncrake

Uaireigin bha an traon bitheanta air feadh Bhreatainn, ach ann an 1993 bha an traon an impis a dhol à bith ann an Alba 's gun ach 470 eun gairm ann. Bidh Iomairt Traoin an R.S.P.B., a chuireadh air chois ann an 1993, a' pàigheadh chroitearan agus thuathanaich aig a bheil traon air an fhearann aca ma stiùireas iad na h-achaidhean feòir agus feòir-thìoraidh aca ann an dòigh a tha mothachail air na h-eòin. Deich bliadhna air adhart, tha dearbhadh ann gu bheil an sgeama air soirbheachadh 's àrdachadh 73% san àireamh de eòin ghairm fhireann a chaidh a chlàradh. An-diugh, 's ann an Ìnnse Gall as motha a tha an traon, ach tha buidhnean beaga dhiubh ann an Arcaibh agus ann am fìor cheann a tuath agus an iar tìr-mòr na h-Alba.<br />
<br />
Chaidh an clàradh claisneach seo a dhèanamh mus deach an Iomairt anTraoin a chur air chois. Air a' chlàradh tha riochdaire bhon R.S.P.B. a' toirt cunntas air cuid de na cùisean co-cheangailte ris an traon.<br />
<br />
'Towards the end of last year there was a meeting between the Nature Conservancy and the R.S.P.B. and it was decided that in order to work out a scheme to help to conserve the corncrake, we really needed to know much more about the bird's behaviour. So it was decided that the R.S.P.B. should take charge of this research side of the scheme, and the N.C.C. would be liaising with crofters and so on, finding out about the history of land use, and working out a scheme whereby crofters would be encouraged and helped to improve the habitat of the corncrake. <br />
<br />
The R.S.P.B. side of this scheme is to discover a lot more about how the birds move around; when they're nesting; what sort of habitats they really need; what the survival of the young is and how it's affected by harvest and the hay harvest. And, on the other side of it, to what extent the birds are dependant on the more natural habitats, the iris beds and so on. And to this effect Tim Stowe [now R.S.P.B. Director, Wales] is working with an assistant down on South Uist. They're initially trying to track the birds' movements by putting a little radio transmitter on their backs, and this is not as easy as it sounds. <br />
<br />
The best method of actually catching a corncrake is to play the tape of the familiar call, which is so distinctive, and the birds react to this by attacking the tape recorder and, if possible, the person who's next to the tape recorder. Initially, the method used on Canna was tried and that involved playing a tape near to a calling bird and putting a mist net, very fine net, between the bird and the tape recorder; the idea being the bird should go into the mist net. Unfortunately this didn't work. Now it's a case of Tim standing by his tape recorder with a butterfly net and this has succeeded and this week they've - well, they've now got three birds with these tiny little transmitters on their backs, and the two of them go round with receiver aerial and can pinpoint the birds' location, which is very valuable, especially now that the summer's really getting on and the cover's growing up. The bird is extremely secretive; he likes thick vegetation cover, and from the end of May going, you're very lucky to see a bird at all'<br />
<br />
Ìomhaigh - Sergey Yeliseev. Tha an obair seo air a ceadachadh leis an Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.